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12/08/2013
Call For Ban On Contentious Parades
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland has called for a voluntary ban on contentious parades for the next six months, saying Stormont seems "incapable of coming to terms with the challenging problems" that lie ahead.
The Federation, which represents almost 7,000 police officers, has called for Secretary of State Theresa Villiers to convene a meeting with the five main parties in Northern Ireland, to persuade their respective communities to hold all contentious parades until the completion of upcoming talks.
A series of all-party meetings is to be chaired by U.S. peace envoy Richard Haas in the coming weeks.
Federation Chairman Terry Spence said: "Since July last year over 500 officers have been injured; 64 over the course of last Thursday and Friday night. The behaviour of protestors is murderous and lawless. We cannot go on with this rate of attrition when it is clear that the PSNI lacks sufficient resources and mutual aid is proving too clumsy a mechanism to generate the number of properly trained and armed officers needed in sufficient time to maintain law and order.
"Northern Ireland needs this six month breathing space to allow constructive political engagement between the parties and frankly, the police need it to rebuild a service properly resourced to deal with the policing realities. Officers are working around the clock and are fatigued.
"The fact that Richard Haas is coming to deal with these issues is an indictment of all our politicians that they seem incapable of coming to terms with the challenging problems of Northern Ireland. The hundreds of injuries being inflicted on my police colleagues, who have all without exception, shown tremendous courage despite the inadequate resources available to them, is further evidence of political failure."
(IT/CD)
The Federation, which represents almost 7,000 police officers, has called for Secretary of State Theresa Villiers to convene a meeting with the five main parties in Northern Ireland, to persuade their respective communities to hold all contentious parades until the completion of upcoming talks.
A series of all-party meetings is to be chaired by U.S. peace envoy Richard Haas in the coming weeks.
Federation Chairman Terry Spence said: "Since July last year over 500 officers have been injured; 64 over the course of last Thursday and Friday night. The behaviour of protestors is murderous and lawless. We cannot go on with this rate of attrition when it is clear that the PSNI lacks sufficient resources and mutual aid is proving too clumsy a mechanism to generate the number of properly trained and armed officers needed in sufficient time to maintain law and order.
"Northern Ireland needs this six month breathing space to allow constructive political engagement between the parties and frankly, the police need it to rebuild a service properly resourced to deal with the policing realities. Officers are working around the clock and are fatigued.
"The fact that Richard Haas is coming to deal with these issues is an indictment of all our politicians that they seem incapable of coming to terms with the challenging problems of Northern Ireland. The hundreds of injuries being inflicted on my police colleagues, who have all without exception, shown tremendous courage despite the inadequate resources available to them, is further evidence of political failure."
(IT/CD)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be rather cloudy with scattered sleet and snow showers but mostly rain near the North coast. Feeling bitterly cold in fresh or strong northerly wind. Maximum temperature 4 °C.Tonight:Clear intervals and wintry showers, most frequent in the north but mostly of rain along the North Coast. A cold night with risk of icy stretches. Minimum temperature -1 °C.
